Medical Treatments and Procedures

Last Shot: The Time Juliana Hatfield Made Me Forget I Have Cancer

[Editor's Note: Longtime concert photographer and fellow Weekling Andrew Youssef found out almost two years ago that he had Stage IV colon cancer. In that time, he has continued to shoot tons of music events for us on top of other freelance work and holding a day job at a hospital, of all places. As ... More >>

Last Shot: Battling Cancer to Shoot the Red Hot Chili Peppers

[Editor's Note: Longtime concert photographer and fellow Weekling Andrew Youssef found out almost two years ago that he had Stage IV colon cancer. In that time, he has continued to shoot tons of music events for us on top of other freelance work and holding a day job at a hospital, of all places. As ... More >>

Last Shot : Seeing "Stars" with Hum

[Editor's Note: Longtime concert photographer and fellow Weekling Andrew Youssef found out almost two years ago that he had Stage IV colon cancer. In that time, he has continued to shoot tons of music events for us on top of other freelance work and holding a day job at a hospital, of all places. Th ... More >>

4 Get Prison Time (with More Likely to Come) in Massive Unity Medical Billing Fraud Scheme

An attorney, an accountant, and two medical center administrators walk into a bar . . . oops, that should be behind bars--for their roles in the nation's largest medical fraud prosecution. Four people who should have known better Thursday became the latest Unity Surgical Outpatient Center muckity-mu ... More >>

Patient Med-Aid: For Those Sick Enough to Smoke

A peek inside Orange County's most exclusive medical-marijuana club, one no one wants to join

Mom and Son Sue Kaiser and CHOC for "Botched" Delivery Where His Twin Died

An infant who survived his delivery with brain damage but whose twin died is suing Kaiser Permanente and Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) for negligence and medical malpractice from "botched" prenatal, labor, delivery and post-natal care.A dollar amount is not specified in the complaint ... More >>

I Didn't Scratch Your Ride

[Hey, You!] So don't kill me, bro

[UPDATED with Conviction:] Flordeliza Aguillo Escano and Son James Francis Alambra Guilty of Abandoning 30 Dogs

See the update at the end of this post on the defendants' guilty pleas and sentences.ORIGINAL POST, SEPT. 25, 8:02 A.M.: A mother and son are scheduled to be arraigned in Newport Beach this morning on charges of abusing and abandoning 30 dogs in a South County park. Rancho Santa Margarita's Flordel ... More >>

California Pelican's Bent Beak Bent No More Thanks to First Emergency Surgery

The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach is cheering the success of the first surgery to repair the bent beak of an American White Pelican whose jaw was out of alignment. When the call came in about "Nigel," as the Pelican has been nicknamed, it had lost weight, its wing was tangled ... More >>

Catherine Kieu Becker Pleads Not Guilty to Slicing Off Estranged Husband's Pecker

​After several starts and stops, Catherine Kieu Becker finally entered another not guilty plea today to slicing off his estranged husband's penis as he was waking up, throwing the member into the garbage disposal and turning it on. That means she still could have done it, as she supposedly admitte ... More >>

Warpaint, TRMRS and Tijuana Panthers Play a Badass Benefit

The bands raise money for late fan Haley Butcher

Parastoo Patricia Faraz-Eslami, Ladera Ranch Doctor, Gets A Year Of Probation From State Medical Board

​A Ladera Ranch doctor, who twice did a surgery unsuccessfully before referring a patient to a different doctor, got a one-year probation term from the state medical board.Dr. Parastoo Patricia Faraz-Eslami's license faced discipline for "gross negligence," "repeated negligent acts" and "incompete ... More >>

Pancha Keophimone, Recruiter of Patients in $154 Million Insurance Scam, Cuts a Deal

​A woman who was a "capper"--one who illegally recruits healthy patients to undergo unnecessary and often dangerous surgeries so medical practices can earn health insurance payments--was sentenced today to a year in jail for her role in what prosecutors call "the largest medical fraud prosecution ... More >>

Octomom Nadya Suleman Delivers the Pain

​Yes, of course Octomom Nadya Suleman says a lot of stupid things--so many that we can't keep track of all of them here at Octomerde Central. And, certainly, there are no doubt many more dumb quotes loaded into her appearance on Wednesday evening's series premiere of HD Network's Celebridate, whic ... More >>

[UPDATED with Manslaughter Count:] Leovardo Vera Bustos, OC Homicide No. 33: Dies From Single Punch

Medina-Perez​UPDATE, AUG. 5, 10:19 A.M.: As expected, amended charges have been filed against 24-year-old Oscar Raul Medina-Perez in the death of Leovardo Vera Bustos, who died from brain injuries two weeks after taking a single punch in front of La Barca Night Club in Stanton on July 5.However, ... More >>

[UPDATED] Norma Ruth Casini, Live-in Caretaker, Accused of Stealing $610,000 From 85-Year-Old for Trips, New Teeth, Laser Eye Work, Dog Whisperer

​UPDATE, FEB. 22, 5:33 P.M.: Prosecutors today charged Leno Casini in the caregiver theft case that has already led to charges against the 56-year-old Laguna Niguel resident's wife. The husband is now charged with two felony counts each of accessory after the fact and receiving stolen property an ... More >>

Orly Taitz Gets In On the Suing Healthcare Reform Game

Taitz photo by John Gilhooley / OC WeeklyThe two most powerful women in America.​The cluster of attorneys general filing suit against the federal government to stop the just-passed health-care reform bill aren't alone in their battle.We'll give you one guess on who else has taken up their cause.

Local Leukemia Patients Struggle with the Shortage of Asian Bone-Marrow Donors

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Empire Theatre

Two Local Hospitals To Be Fined For Violations

marosh / Flickr / Creative CommonsThis might sting a little.St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton and UCI Medical Center in Irvine will both face administrative fines from the California Department of Public Health, the department announced today. Each fine is $25,000, and comes as a result of "a det ... More >>

Chris Gaffney: Rest in Peace

Former Weekly music editor Jim Washburn just emailed us with the sad news of OC musical icon Chris Gaffney's passing: "I apologize for not calling personally to pass this on, but I'm finding it hard to speak: Chris Gaffney's brother Greg called to say that Chris passed away this morning. His fami ... More >>

Chris Gaffney has liver cancer

Chris Gaffney, who for years has been pretty much OC's go-to guy for quality country music playing, singing and songwriting, has been diagnosed with liver cancer. And, like far too many musicians, he needs help to pay for his very costly chemotherapy treatments. Even though Gaffney has health insura ... More >>

Tucked Up

A Long Beach patient sues Dr. Brian West over a tummy tuck she claims went awry

Under Wraps

Many of Dr. Brian West's patients didn't know he was in the state medical board's substance-abuse-diversion program. At least six of them claim they're paying the price

A Little Michelangelo, a Little Rodin, a Little Rockefeller

Sculptor Tuan Nguyens long journey to arrive

Tongue tied (sort of)

A dispatch arrives from the cutting edge of science, where the wonders never cease: Tongue made from buttocks A Polish man who had his tongue removed has had a new one made using tissue taken from his buttocks. Jarislav Ernst, 23, from Gliwice, now has a functioning tongue made from his backside a ... More >>

Flea Market Fantasy

Apology En Mass

Wank